Kin III
by Inkognito97
Summary: "He is in possession of an ancient artifact, one that allows him to use the Force, but that stops me from touching him. As long as he is in possession of this artifact, I cannot touch, kill or control him." "But we can?" questioned Anakin. "Indeed, and if you were to run your lightsaber through Sidious' chest, the artifact's magic would cease to work." Part 11.3 of ABC of Obi-Wan


I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters.  
Only Cessum Carnas and Draan belong to me.

Every mistake is my own.

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* * *

Kin III

The great Jedi Temple had never before seen that much uproar and activity. Upon the return of Qui-Gon and his lineage, all kinds of Jedi wanted to congratulate them over their important victory. Their victory was soon forgotten in the face of the Force in physical appearance however. In all honesty, Qui-Gon was glad that not everyone's attention was on him and his lineage. The Force, Ben, took the attention with humility. He offered wisdom and words of comfort or warning, when asked or needed. He listened to everyone, no matter how old or young. And a few of the older Jedi, those, who rarely left the holes they had crawled into, came to greet the Force as well and they all were welcomed with open arms. The Force loved its children, even a blind man could see that.

"I still cannot believe this," the accented voice next to him, caught all Qui-Gon's attention. "I still think that I am in a dream and that I will soon wake up, either in my bed in the Temple, or in captivity."

"It is the truth," the older male assured his former Padawan. He put a comforting hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder squeezing it affectionately, which earned him a small smile.

The ginger haired Council member hummed, while watching with humor, as a small child grabbed the Force's hand, dragging the laughing man away from the scandalized masses. "They act as if he is going to vanish."  
"Be patient with them, it is not an everyday occasion that you can talk and touch the Force like this."

"I know that… but still, I have the feeling that he will stay, until the Harmonic Force Convergence is over at least."

"You really think so?" Anakin had joined their conversation, with Ahsoka standing right next to him.

"Call it a feeling," answered his former Master.

* * *

Even the seasoned and well respected Council members were in uproar when they finally became witnesses to the rumor that travelled in lightspeed through the whole Temple. At first, silence reigned in the chamber, then all hell broke loose. Masters began to murmur towards each other, stealing glances at the Obi-Wan look-alike. Others were probing the unknown being in front of them. Only Yoda was saying and doing nothing. His eyes were fixed on Ben, who calmly returned the gaze. Slowly, ever so slowly, a smile appeared on the Force's face and he slowly got to his knees, while Yoda struggled to stand up.

"Yoda," greeted Ben, when the old Jedi Master had finally reached him. At this point, silence had returned to the chamber and everyone watched, as the omnipotent being rested his hand on the green Jedi Master's shoulder. A flinch went through the small Master, followed by a shiver and a few of the Councilors could not trust their eyes, for Yoda truly appeared younger and he even felt younger and more energetic in the Force.

"Unusual, this is," said Yoda. In his eyes shone gratefulness and he even stood straighter. It was as if the pain and his age had been taken from him.

"So is the Harmonic Force Convergence, my old friend," Ben retorted. The murmuring started again.

"Harmonic Force Convergence?" repeated Mace Windu. Obi-Wan was impressed that his friend was brave enough to speak out. "What is that?"

For a moment, the Force's eyes glowed, as he was looking at the dark skinned Korun Master. One eye glowed golden, the other silver. "During the Harmonic Force Convergence, when the planets align, I become vulnerable, I become… human."

"Define 'human'," asked Obi-Wan.

"The Force… me… as you now experience it, will be no more during the few minutes of the Convergence. I cease to be Force, therefore, I become mortal. I can be wounded, I can be killed," he looked around.

"If," it was Plo Koon, who dared to speak up, "someone were able to kill you, what would happen then?"

"In the best case scenario, he or she would take my place. If not, chaos will reign and the galaxy will cease to exist, starting with the all consuming darkness and the light that will burn everything to ashes. If there is no one to control the light and the dark, you will ALL die."

Fear spiked the Force, fear and disbelief. It had come from the Councilors. "We have to make sure that does not happen!"

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Wait, why is he even telling us this?" the chaos of voices and opinions came to a halt and again, all eyes landed on Ben, who remained kneeling in front of Yoda.

His gold and silver eyes locked with the green troll. "There is a Sith on the loose," he said calmly. "And this Sith, plans to take my place and to rule over the galaxy."

Yan Dooku, who had remained silent and observing through the whole process, finally took the word. Qui-Gon was silently impressed at how well his former Master was taking the news. "Why won't you just get… rid of him then? As the Force, you should be able to rule over life and death." He did not mean it as a challenge, which was probably the only reason, why Ben remained calm.

"He is in possession of an ancient artifact, one that allows him to use the Force, but that stops me from touching him. As long as he is in possession of this artifact, I cannot touch, kill or control him."

"But we can?" questioned Anakin.

"Indeed, and if you were to run your lightsaber through Sidious' chest, the artifact's magic would cease to work."

"Why does such a powerful artifact exist in the first place?" demanded the Korun Master to know.

"It is the mortals' insurance, in case the Force is neglecting its tasks. A long, long time ago, when there were no Sith and no Jedi, there still existed more of those artifacts. Groups of Force sensitives, as you call them, joined together. They chose the most powerful among them, their Champions, which were given the artifact as a symbol of their power and their status. Back in these days, the Harmonic Force Convergence happened more often, because the Force was not in balance, because light and dark were waging a war that turned the galaxy into chaos." He stopped talking for a moment and tilted his head. Again, one of his eyes glowed golden, the other in silver and a mere second later, the room's occupants, found themselves on the surface of a devastated planet, one neither of them recognized.

"What the…?" Ahsoka sounded frightened and she took her Master's hand, who in turn got closer to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The Councilors had jumped to their feet as well, some were looking around in panic, others were gazing at Ben, who was also rising to his feet.

"Where are we?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Coruscant," answered Ben calmly, "long before your time." And it was then that the Jedi realized that they were seeing a memory. The Force chuckled, "And perhaps it would be better, if you were to know my… original appearance, even though I gave it up, when I became the Force."

A grey fog swirled around the Obi-Wan look-alike and when it vanished, it left a man behind with jet black hair. It was side parted and while it was almost completely shaved off from the right side of his skull, it hung over his left eye. Two or three strands of the hair that was hiding the man's left eye from view, was red. And not to forget the chin beard that was woven into one single short braid.

"Wow," said Ahsoka, she was staring at Ben with wide eyes. Obi-Wan could understand the feeling, he too was a little taken aback by the drastic change.

"There," it was Anakin, who pointed at something a little farther away. Upon a closer look, it turned out to be Ben, the only difference was that the man from the memory, had black and red war paint on his face and a single blood red stone hung around his neck, it was strikingly obvious, because he was wearing otherwise only black.

And suddenly, as if they were standing right next to the man, they heard and felt everything.

"Cessum, there you are," the blonde male sounded relieved, while he stepped forward, to greet the raven haired man friendly. "I thought…" he trailed off.

"I am not a coward, Draan. No matter what… he says."

"Still," the man called Draan was fidgeting. "I… we, are just glad you are here."

"This is our chance to make a change, Draan. And it is about damn time that things change. Look around us, look what that monster did to our home and tell me that I am wrong."

"You aren't," the blonde with the nasty scar that ran over his whole face turned away. "Come, the Convergence is almost among us. Time is short, the others have already gathered." He huffed. "This will truly be a battle that generations to come, will remember."

Cessum ran with his hand through the red strands of his hair, rearranging them before his eye. "Or not," there was something in his dark eyes that his companion could not read.

Draan decided it was better not to answer, instead he shook his head and began running.

It was the worst battle they had ever fought. Metal clashed on metal, armor was torn, limbs cut off, blood soaked the ground, turning it red and death around every corner. The Force was a cruel being, set out to kill, to bring darkness and to secure its tyranny.

Cessum was one of the few, who were still standing or able to fight, even Draan had been too severely injured.

An ear-splitting scream tore through the air and Cessum closed his eyes, feeling the death of yet another champion. Their crystals were useless during the Convergence, they only kept the Force at bay and since the Force became human during the Harmonic Force Convergence, they lost their purpose.

"So many lost," a rough and scratchy voice sounded right behind Cessum, making the raven haired male spin around, clutching the hilt of his iron sword tightly. "And you, will follow," hissed the bald man, who was the Force.

"Let's see about that," he had a chance. They were almost equal, they both could be injured, they both could die and they both knew that there was no second chance.

"Brave words, from a mortal," he had bared his sharp yellow teeth.

"You will pay for your crimes… for abandoning us," and before his opponent could waste anymore precious time, Cessum dashed forward, striking and missing his target by mere inches. He gritted his teeth, as a shiver went through the unbound Force. It would not be much longer now and when the Convergence ended, so would their hope of winning and surviving.

The Force laughed manically as their swords met, "What makes you think that you of all people stand a chance against me?"

"I made it my goal to protect the innocent, to safe other planets and to bring you to justice."

"Justice? I am justice, I am above you, I. Am. The. Force." He was breathless while saying the last part and his eyes glowed madly.

Cessum wondered, not for the first time, what must have transpired to turn the Force into such an unstable being, who could not control himself and his emotions, let alone the darkness and the light of the whole universe. The raven haired man pushed that thought aside for later. Perhaps it was better that he did not know, what drove this being into madness.

"You are nothing," he replied calmly and it was more than enough to drive the Force into uncontrollable anger, making his attacks much more brutal, but much less elegant and graceful.

A pained cry escaped Cessum as the other's metal sword pierced through his armor, cutting into his side. He could feel warm liquid escaping the wound, but he quickly pushed the pain into the Force. The bald man laughed manically, grinning from one ear to the other. The raven haired man gritted his teeth and made himself stand straight again, raising his sword. The Force was shivering violently now, it was both distracting and cause for worry. The planets were already moving out of their line and if the first one truly broke away from the others, the Convergence would be over. Time was short and Cessum knew that. On top of it all, he wondered, why no one had come to his aid, surely there still must be others able and capable to fight?

"Ts, ts, ts, time's up," chuckled the bald man. He had danced away while Cessum had been distracted. Now, he tilted his head back and laughed, arms spread wide and he spun around. Madness, true madness and this madness was what caused the galaxy to fall apart.

Cessum closed his black eyes and took deep breathes. He filtered everything out, all the noise, the smell, the pain. Instead, he allowed the last bit of the Force that had not turned into a raging berserk, into his being, allowing it into every fiber of his body. His spine straightened, his muscles relaxed and as if in trance, his arm moved on its own accord.

It was a pained grunt that was followed by a few panting intakes of air that broke Cessum's concentration and caused him to open his eyes. What he saw, filled him both with shock and with satisfaction. Embedded in the mad man's chest, was his sword. The Force's eyes were open, one of his hands reached towards the weapon, the other reached out to Cessum, before he crumbled to the floor in a dead heap.

Cessum let out a relieved breath and he was suddenly very much aware of the pain coming from his wound. He clutched his side, painfully aware of the blood that was flowing between his gloved fingers. With his free hand, he reached up, grabbing the necklace around his neck and pulling hard enough to make it snap. Without caring where it landed, he threw away the crystal and it was in that very moment, that the first planet moved out of line.

A startled gasp escaped Cessum, as he felt how his very being was filled to the brink with energy and it didn't end. It almost felt, as if his very being was torn apart, yet it did not hurt. It was… freeing.

The memory ended there and the Jedi Masters blinked and looked around the familiar Council chamber. The Force was still in his 'Cessum'-form and he was looking around the room, almost as if he was checking, if everyone was alright.

"That was… interesting," Qui-Gon managed to grit out, causing the dark haired man to grin.

"The memories ended there, because I ceased being Cessum Carnas. I became the Force and in doing so, I gave up everything that I was."

"The Force is not allowed to have attachments, to weigh one life over another," it was Obi-Wan, who had spoken and while he was looking thoughtfully at his own boots, were most of the other Councilors' eyes on him.

"It is a very… lonely life," the Force agreed.

"You saved the galaxy," Anakin cut in. There was a light in his eyes, a raging fire to be exact. "You are a hero."

"I am me. And me, is the Force."

"The Force is everything," protested Anakin, he was standing directly in front of the older male.

"And nothing," countered the raven haired being.

"But-" Anakin's protest was interrupted, by his Grandmaster.

"Anakin… Ben," he looked into two pairs of eyes. "Let us have this conversation at another point, please?" The smaller males nodded.

"One question remains," Yan Dooku had taken the word again. His gaze was penetrating and solemnly fixed on the Force. "Why have you told us this?"

"The Force is justice," it was a quote from the memory they had just witnessed. "The Sith, Sidious as he calls himself, knows about the past and it is only fair that you do too."

"There is more," protested Qui-Gon.

Cessum, Ben, whatever he was called now, shifted slightly, but did not turn to look at the long haired Jedi. "Should it happen that Sidious kills me, you need to make sure that he dies… or that one of you kills me. Sidious is NOT allowed to become the Force, under no circumstances."

Again, Qui-Gon could feel that there was more and he had already opened his mouth, but it was the Force's warm and familiar presence, which surrounded him and his mind, soothing him and telling him to keep his questions for later. He agreed, even though very reluctantly.

"You cannot possible want to fight the Sith?" Anakin's angry and shocked voice cut through the room.

The Force finally did turn to look at the blonde. "And who will, if not I?"

"Us, let us do it for you. Hide away, where no one can find and threaten you." He was truly worried.

The raven haired man closed his eyes and only opened them after a while. They were back to blue-green and while fog appeared around his feet, turning him back to his previously chosen form, did he open his mouth to retort. "No," he simply said. "Hiding is not an option. Sidious needs to die and he will die by my hand. The stone he wears, works as a contract. There is no other option, we are destined to battle."

"But what if YOU die?" Anakin was almost having a temper tantrum and even the calming hands on his arms that belonged to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, did not help in calming him down.

"Then it is the will of the galaxy and the way of things. I am ready to die, I know what awaits me if I do."

"This is banthashit, I mean-," he was interrupted.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice was hard and made Anakin fall silent. "Enough. The Force has its reasons for acting and deciding the way it did. You have trusted it and its judgments until now, without much questioning, why can't you do it now?"

"Because now I have the opportunity to learn about my father," said the younger male, there was defiance in his eyes. "Now I have the opportunity to learn, why he looks like you and not like me. He can tell me, why he made my mother suffer like this."

Something unreadable appeared in Ben's eyes. "I look like Obi-Wan, because he is my first born son and he gave me this form a long long time ago, long before you were born even." Anger was hidden behind a calm façade, but everyone in the room could see and feel it nevertheless. "And you… weren't you the one, who hated me, simply for being your father?"

"You left me and my mother alone!" screamed Anakin. His feelings were running amok.

"The Force is not allowed to value one life over the other. Obi-Wan's mother was left alone also, it is how is has to be… how it needs to be."

Anakin's face had turned into a cold mask. "You don't even care about us, do you?"

Blue-green eyes turned golden and in the blink of an eye, Ben stood right before his second child. Darkness was hanging around him like a robe, yet the shadows seemed to be alive and actively consuming the light. "Do not DARE to speak this way, Anakin Skywalker. If I did not care, you would be dead… you wouldn't have been born." The blonde Knight had begun to tremble in true fear and he was not the only one. Obi-Wan wanted to step forward, but the raised hand of his father kept him rooted. "Get out of my sight until you have come back to your senses, BOY. Meditate, calm yourself… get a grip on your mindless emotions… or you are bound to pay a terrible prize."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No," he shook his head. "I am telling you about the future you are creating in your arrogance and pride."

"Ben," Qui-Gon's voice was careful and calm, almost as if he wanted to calm a wounded or startled animal. "You are scaring him." Little did he know that it was, what the Force was trying to achieve. He needed Anakin to realize the truth, to make him see how close to the darkness he truly was and this warning might be the only way.

"I will return," said Ben, he forced his voice to be neutral again and in the next moment, his physical form had vanished, taking along the shadows and smothering darkness, allowing the Jedi in the room to breathe freely again.

Anakin sunk to his knees, with Ahsoka quickly lowering herself to the ground next to him. Qui-Gon needed to sit also and he was lead towards Obi-Wan's seat, while the ginger haired man looked to the least effected person in the room.

"Angry the Force is," Yoda spoke aloud what everyone already knew, but to hear the truth, made it just so much worse.

"No," protested Obi-Wan, "he is hurt."

* * *

Sidious grin grew, almost splitting his face, as he felt the almighty presence in his small office.

"I had asked myself, when you would honor me with your appearance," he said and slowly turned his chair away from the darkened windows to look at the newcomer. He found himself looking into a golden and one silver eye. Their owner had coal black hair, with three strands of his bangs red. The braided beard on his chin was probably the most defining feature.

"You are treading very dangerous waters, child of the dark."

Sidious laughed again, throwing his head back. He felt save, he KNEW that he was save as long as he was wearing the blood red stone around his neck. "Dangerous for you perhaps."

For one moment, both eyes glowed golden and the furniture in the room began to shiver and tremble. Solemnly Sidious' chair was not affected. "Don't play games with me," he growled.

"The way I see it," as soon as his elbows came to rest on the desk, did the piece of furniture stop trembling as well, "you are in no position to make any demands or threats, not as long as I have this." He took the stone into one hand.

Sidious blinked and then instinctively leaned back, when the Force was only mere inches away from him. For the briefest of moments, did fear cross his mind and he feared that the stone would not protect him, but the raven haired man did not reach out, did not try to hurt or kill him in any way.

A chuckle escaped the Force. "That's right, fear me. I will be the last living being you will ever see, before death will claim you. And it truly will be death that awaits you, not me." He was gone in the next moment, leaving behind a slightly disturbed Sith Lord, who tightened his grip on the red stone around his neck to keep it from trembling. This was not how he had planned it.

Sidious jumped up and was halfway through the room, when another idea hit him. If the Force wanted to fight dirty, then dirty he would fight. It was about time that he invited Anakin over again anyway…


End file.
